Improved boat and ponton



UNITED STATES P TENT OFFICE.

EDWARD L. PERRY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED BOAT AND PONTON.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 41,719, dated February 23, 1864 antedated February 7, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD L. PERRY, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Portable Life- Boat which is Applicable to the Construction of Ponton-Bridges and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure l is a plan or top view of my invention; Fig. 2, an inverted plan or bottom view of the same 5 Fig. 3, a transverse vertical section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The object of this invention is to obtain a life-boat which may, when not required for use, be compactly folded and stowed away in a small space, and still be capable of being readily adapted for use and possess the advantage of always righting itself if thrown into the water. v

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A A A represent three air chambers, constructed of india-rubber, gutta-percha, or any suitable air-tight and water-proof fabric. These air-chambers may be of any length, ac-

. cording to the desired length of the boat, and

they are all connected together in such a way as to form flexible joints to that will admit of the chambers folding longitudinally together in contact. These air-chambers may communicate with each other, so that they may all be inflated simultaneously by means of a single tube, B, inserted in the central chamber, A, or they may be isolated and each chamber provided with an inflatingtube. These tubes may be constructed like those generally used for such purposes, and provided with cut-offs or cocks to retain the air within the chambers.

()11 the upper surface of the air-chambers, or rather on the spaces between said chambers, there are secured two longitudinal bars, I) b, to which a netting, O, is secured. This netting is over the central chamber, A, only, and is designed for the occupants of the boat to grasp or catch hold of. These bars b 11 perform several important functions: First, they prevent the cylinders rubbing against each other and being abraded when the device is folded up and not in use 5 second, they serve as foot-boards for the passengers and as braces tween pendant elastic fiaps d d, which project a down from the bottom of the chamber A. By this arrangement it will be seen that the keel D is rendered movable in a lateral directionthat is to say, may be turned either to the right or left-as will be understood by referring to Fig. 3, in which the keel is shown in different positions by different colors.

E represents a rope, which passes through eyes 0 at the outer edges of the chambers A A, and extends transversely underneath the chambers, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. This rope E serves as a stay or support to the chambers when the boat is in use, greatly strengthening it, and rendering it firm. and stiff when afloat.

The keel D serves to prevent the boat making leeway or moving laterally under the action of the wind. The keel, in consequence of being allowed to swing laterally to the right or left, admits of the chambers,when not inflated, to be compactly folded together, and it also admits of the boat righting itself if thrown into the water, for the boat, if bottom side up, will turn right side up owing to the Weight of the keel D, which will not remain in avertical position, but will incline either to the right or left, so as to turn the boat in the water.

This life-boat may be made to serve as a ponton-bridge, and when one boat is not of sufficient length two or more may be used and platforms placed on them.

I do not claim the employment or use of india-rubber air-chambers for life-boats, for they have been previously used; but

1 do claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent v The combination of the chambers A A, bars 12, swinging keel D, and rope E, all constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purposes specified.

EDWARD L. PERRY.

Witnesses:

M. M. WILcox, PETER VAN ANTWERP. 

